Drug charges dropped for police chief’s daughter

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1998 | 10:58 a.m.

Drug trafficking charges were dropped today against the daughter of the Los Angeles Police Department chief of police after prosecutors determined she apparently did nothing more than give a ride to a friend of a friend.

Michelle Lynette Parks, 37, walked out of Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle's courtroom a free woman, but bitter at the news coverage the case generated and what she said were "the lies that were told."

Parks was being charged with conspiracy and drug trafficking for what was believed to be her role in a Las Vegas drug deal involving an undercover police officer.

But Deputy District Attorney Scott Mitchell decided to drop the charges after it was determined she likely was doing no more than providing a ride for a man who is still facing drug charges and has a warrant issued for his arrest.

Parks' attorney, Stan Walton, said the woman had no knowledge a drug deal was going to occur when she agreed to give a ride to a man she only knew casually.

"This is not the first time he used someone to drive him to and from drug sales," Walton said.

He described Parks as "kind and gentle-hearted" and said the case "snowballed" until charges finally were dropped today.

Walton said the lesson Parks learned from the experience was to be more careful about her associations.

Parks said the lesson she learned was, "Don't watch the news."

Walton said that some news articles and broadcasts tended to convict Parks of the crime rather than simply report that she was accused. He said she is "understandably not media friendly."

Although the charges have been dropped against the daughter of Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks, Oesterle did not preclude prosecutors from again charging the woman if new evidence surfaces.

Mitchell said that after an arrest warrant was issued for Michelle Parks last month, she surrendered to authorities and was released without bail. She had been accused of conspiring with an accomplice identified as Reginald Gaithwright, 21, to sell 20 grams of cocaine to an undercover Las Vegas police officer in June.

Her second attorney, Robert Langford, said that as a result of the criminal accusations, Parks "has been hounded by the press in L.A."